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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kick — in football
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a city
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. current — happening now
  17. season — in sport
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. season — of the year
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. current — electric
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — of water
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com